Annual report from Congregation Ner Tamid, 2013-2014

zvij-zui'* lempie ooarq Jacky Rosen, President jackysrosen@gmail.com Mindy Ungcr-Wadkins, VP Administration mindywadkins@me.com Bruce Familian, VP Ways & Means famdev@familiandev.com Rob Levrant, VP Education & Youth nvchrisnrob@embarqmail.com Jack Katz VP Ritual jkatz14@cox.net Jacque Walton. VP Membership Recruitment pjacksp@msn.com Shawn Willis. VP Membership Retention shawndamaria@gmail.com Cindy Jensen, VP Social Action ckjensen@cox.net George Freed. Treasurer george.j.freed@gmail.com Pam Poster, Corporate Secretary pkposter@interact.ccsd.net Rabbi Sanford Akselrad, Senior Rabbi rabbak@lvnertamid.org Trustees Debra Gorov debra_gorov@yahoo.com Lisa Katz katzcalendar@me.com Jolie Brislin joliebrislin@yahoo.com Andrea Harris andrea.harris@cbvegas.com Gary Kantor lgjk@aol.com Larry Lehrner llohrner@prodigy.net Donna Higo donnadonnahigo@aol.com Harry Fagel fagelman2000@yahoo.com Del Acosta daomia@att not Jim Mason jim@taylor-usa.com Shana Korman shanakorman@yahoo.com Rich Goldstoin rich.goldstoin@ymail.com Susie Sernoe, Sisterhood Pros sus830@ccnturylink not Janet Duda, Sisterhood janctduda@hotmail.com Mike Rissien, Men's Club Pres. ou812r@yahoo.com Jordan Goldstein. NTTY Pres. jjkatluvcr@gmail.com Pint Piesidcnis Ifuli linger Eileen Kollins Urine M.H/.i Kenneth Schnitzer I lur ry Sax Dr. David Wasserman Maria l.ellzlu lell Kahn Seott Stolberg Dr. Sieve Kollins Dr Stewart Blumenfeld Hon. Michael Cherry Drew l evy Dr. Bernard Farrow Boh Ungcr 'Eugene Kirshbuum Jerry Cordon 'David Cold water Cal Lewis 'Deceased CONGREGATION NERTAMID On the (Jreenspun Campus for Jewish Life, Learning Spirituaf (RenewaC 55 N. VALLE VERDE DR., HENDERSON. NV 89074 J4nnuaf (Report 2013/2014 A Special Place to Belong PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Congregation Ner Tamid exists to strengthen the lives of our Jewish community and the community at large. As a congregation we are vibrant and strong. We impact lives every day through the good work we do. Our chesed committee cares for the sick. Our teachers and clergy provide opportunities for lifelong learning, which engage and inspire. Our Sisterhood, Men's Club, NextGen, Dorienu, Senior and Membership groups offer an astounding array of events that build friendships and create community. We have created new memories with our programs like "Sushi and Sake in the Sukkah", and our many holiday celebrations. We have honored the community work of our congregants of the year and our women of valor, hosted a Holocaust speaker, and met the judicial candidates. We have joined in celebrating weddings, baby naming's and b'nai mitzvahs. I am so blessed to be part of this special community and I am inspired by the amount we have accomplished together. This year we said a fond farewell to our Cantorial Intern Philip Goldstein. Philip brought beautiful music to our worship service and will be missed. As we move forward towards the vision of expanding our musical and educational engagement beyond Shabbat, to our preschool, religious school, song leaders, choirs, Torah study, minyan, adult education and so much more. We welcome Cantor Jessica Hutchings to our family. Jessica grew up in Las Vegas and was called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah right here at CNT. She is a very accomplished woman with two master's degrees, one in music and one in Jewish education, and celebrated her Cantorial ordination in May. We welcome her in July, and are excited to implement the many ideas and offerings our members have been hoping for. Over the last forty years Las Vegas has seen it all, boom and bust, but as a Congregation we were able to grow and thrive. As Lawrence Kushner taught, the Torah is a mirror. Each year, each cycle, we read it. Each year, it remains the same, but we see it through the lens of our lives and experiences. Each year, we learn something new as we grow and change. This year we celebrate our fortieth year as a congregation. Forty years in the desert. Forty cycles of Torah. Forty years of history. We have done a lot of wandering, a lot of praying, celebrated more simchas and sorrows than can be counted, and created a home with a sense of pride and purpose. It requires money, time, talent, and commitment to grow a community like ours, and all of you, our members, have been our friends, supporters, and partners through it all. Our journey is far from over?in fact, it is just beginning, as our dream of a campus for Jewish Life and Learning continues to take shape, grow and thrive. As we prepare and plan for the future, we have been raising funds to reduce our debt. We have become a "green campus" and are reducing our carbon footprint and energy expense in excess of fifty percent through the installation of solar panels. We have nearly fifty generous congregants who have become menorah level partners. Their donations in excess of the general membership rate help us to offer scholarships and assistance to many other members. We have a number of members who are pledging to our legacy campaign and other naming opportunities. This year especially as we celebrate our past, we must secure our future. We must make substantial strides in paying down our debt service. We have five generous individuals who have pledged to pay our mortgage for one month a year for the next few years. We are looking for more relief in this area to allow us to focus on an even greater effort to pay down the mortgage. We will begin a concentrated campaign, which will give every congregant the ability to give according to their means. Later in the year opportunities will be announced and we hope everyone will come forward to do their part. We are doing all of this to secure a Jewish home for all of us. Please see me or the rabbi with questions you might have. Throughout this next year, we will engage in many ways to commemorate our fortieth birthday, I ask you to join us in celebrating our past and planning for our future and may we continue to reflect on and learn from the Torah as we go on our paths both individually as Jews and together as a Jewish community... a Congregation... Congregation Ner Tamid. From strength to strength, Jacky IACKY ROSEN PRESIDENT MISSION STATEMENT THE MISSION OF CNT IS TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL RELIGIOUS SERVICES, LIF E-LONG JEWISH LEAR NING OPPORTUNITIES. CULTURAL PROGRAMS AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES IN ORDER TO PERPETUATE AND ADVANCE REFORM JUDAISM. 2 RABBI SANFORD AKSELRAD They say nothing is constant but "change". And this certainly was a year of change for our Congregation! There were four main areas that we sought to address this year. Financial, Education, Social Action and Spiritual. FINANCIAL We organized a Legacy Giving Committee, which was tasked with creating a greater awareness in our congregation of the importance of leaving a lasting financial legacy to insure the ongoing vitality of the Temple. At least a dozen members have come forward to take part in this endeavor and more are on the way as word spreads about the importance of this program! In addition, we began to fully implement our "monthly angel" program which has asked Congregants to help offset the monthly cost of one month's mortgage Already six families have agreed and several more are coming on board. Our annual Women of Valor Gala was a huge success, and we look forward to next year's theme as we enter into our 40th year! EDUCATION Rabbi Reuben has focused on transforming our religious school. Towards that end she has introduced a number of experiential programs that engage every individual in the school. If the word "fun" was the title of her master plan, then it should be imprinted on every document. She has brought a love and vitality to our program that has engaged every grade with an incredible amount of enthusiasm. Today's religious school is nothing like we remember from our childhood and is everything that it should be as we engage today's youth. Next year we are bringing in more technology thanks to a special gift from Selma Bartlett. Lonnie Kritzler continues to insure that our Kantor Early Childhood Center is renown throughout the city! We are nearly full to capacity with over 100 students! This is incredible as we seek to grow our congregation with young families and our religious school with more and more students. Beth Bowman created an incredible series of Adult Education opportunities: classes, movies, lectures, Torah study, adult b'nai mitzvah, the list is contained in a yearly book that she produces and hands out every High Holy Day! SOCIAL ACTION We have taken a greater role in a r elatively new organization, "Nevadans for the Common Good". This is an "Organization of Organizations" dedicated to bringing about positive social change for the State of Nevada. In years past we have partnered with organizations that have engaged in interfaith educational opportunities. We continue these endeavors, but this organization seeks to put Tikun Olam into action. This coming year we will focus on issues related to the vulnerable elderly. SPIRITUAL We experimented with the time of services. Oy, you would have thought that we rewrote the Torah\ We realized that 7:30pm was too late for most families. And 6:15pm, was too early. We settled in on 7:00pm for most services. Once a month we started a "Shabbat B'yachad" a 6:15pm service followed by a community dinner organized by Roberta Unger and Beth Bowman. It has become an immediate success! With the motto, "Bring your own bottle of wine" families have come to enjoy Shabbat and each other. We have had wonderful and varied dinners. People come and see friends, make new friends, and just enjoy themselves in a very special way! We engaged in a search for a Cantor to serve our community. Ira and Nan Spector did a wonderful job in chairing this committee that represented a broad spectrum of the Temple. A national search was conducted and we are thrilled with the results! Cantor Jessica Hutchings will be starting with us July 12th! She has an incredible resume, which includes two Master's degrees and ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Los Angeles. She has trained under the world's finest cantors and has an incredible voice. For her Cantorial recital she paired with world-renowned artist Matisyahu that in itself made headlines as the first female Cantor ever to sing with this international singing super star! Cantor Hutchings will be an incredible addition to our community. I am looking forward to having her with us as we continue to shape our services, musical offerings, and programs in the months and years ahead. A special thank you goes to Maxine Molinsky who has so ably led us in worship these past six months. Maxine has served as our guest soloist for over ten years to ensure that our services are beautiful. You have the voice of an angel Maxine, and the heart of one! CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 CANTOR SEARCH When given the opportunity to serve on the Cantorial search committee to help select Congregation Ner Tamid's new Cantor, we knew it would be an exciting yet challenging task. Our wonderful and knowledgeable committee consisted of: Michael Mehr, Lori Frankl, Del Acosta. Glori Rosenberger. Maxine Molinsky, Rich Bale, Jacky Rosen, Nan Spector, Ira Spector and Rabbi Akselrad. We began the search process in August of 2013 with the hopes of finding just the right fit for our deserving congregation. The committee received 25 -30 applications from Cantors and Cantorial Soloists from all over the country, including one from Paris, France! They were from varied backgrounds, Conservative to Reform, including both men and women candidates. Our committee met many times, listening to submitted recordings and going over detailed resumes. From a careful and detailed examination of our candidates, we narrowed the search to a few candidates that seemed to fit what our congregation was seeking, someone who could move us spiritually, who could fill the wide and expanding needs of our congregation and be the right Cantor for CNT. Our committee conducted Skype interviews with several candidates and decided on two. We requested to have both of them fly out to visit us at CNT for a weekend with our Congregation to observe the chemistry and manner in which they conducted themselves on and off the bimah. After having two candidates visit us, seeing them in varied situations and settings, and after polling the congregational attendees and meetings with our committee members, a decision was made unanimously that Jessica Flutchings, who would be formally ordained as a Cantor as of June of 2014, was clearly the most outstanding, energetic and spiritual candidate that we were looking for! We are so looking forward to hearing her lovely voice lead us in prayer starting in July! She has already begun to excite and inspire us and we know this is only the tip of the iceberg for this dynamic and sincerely inspirational Cantor. Congregation Ner Tamid will now enjoy having a formally ordained Cantor, which is what we have been wanting for so long. Thank you to all who contributed your opinions and valuable insights, as you are all so important and central to all we do at CNT! Thank you sincerely. COMMITTEE MEMBERS Nanette and Ira Spector Co-Chairs of the Cantorial Search Committee Del Acosta Lori Frankl Glori Rosenberger Rabbi Akselrad Michael Mehr Jacky Rosen Rich Bale Maxine Molinsky RABBI AKSELRAD CONTINUED So much has happened this year, and I have been blessed with a dedicated staff, Beth Bowman, Beth Davis, Elaine Entin, Joyce Flerlands, Lonnie Kritzler, Melissa Lemoine, Amy Levitus, Bryon Parker, Lee Posey, Linda Rosen, Lynette Solomon, Roberta Unger, Judy Winnick and wish to thank them all for their hard work and dedication to insure the vitality of our Congregation. And I have been equally blessed with dedicated lay leaders. Jacky Rosen has been a truly "hands on" President. She spends hours upon hours at the Temple and has been a fixture of volunteerism here for twenty years. Mindy Unger- Wadkins has been by her side as VP of Administration. Taking on projects large and small, together they have made a great team, and have led an incredible board! As the year comes to end we also bid a fond farewell to my colleague Rabbi Sadie Reuben. Rabbi Reuben will be taking a position in her home community in Arizona and we wish her every success in her new endeavor. In the short time that she has been with us, she has brought a great spirit and sense of joy to our religious school. She has touched the lives of Congregants as she performed life cycle events that brought special meaning to all of her ceremonies. We will all miss her and I especially will miss our partnership as we created new and exciting experiences for our community. BUILDING COMMUNITY BEGINS WITH A VISION TO CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS Shawn Willis & Jacque Walton Membership Vice Presidents Marlene Acosta Claudia Chavarria Harry Fagel Leilani Fagel Carolyn Friedner Gordon Gradney Arlene Kalodner Shana Korman Hester Kremer Fay Schoenfeld Joyce Sperling Steven Sperling Judy Winnick Abby Zeldin CONGREGANTS OF THE YEAR 2013 L.ORI FRANKL & SHERYL CHENIN-WFBR We can definitely say, "Wow! This was a busy year!" There were so many impactful and joyous events, which helped the entire CNT family and our Membership Committee interconnect, both spiritually and socially. We are truly grateful for the support, monetary contributions, assistance, time, energy, participation and attendance from our Clergy, Board Members, Staff, Men's Club, Sisterhood, Next Gen, Educators, Senior Social Group, committee leaders and all volunteers. With these collaborative efforts, CNT has gained 42 new active families, and we now have a congregation of 611 happy families. We began the fiscal year as your Membership Ambassadors with a memorable presentation of Congregation Ner Tamid during our New and Prospective Members ShabbaQue. In addition to the food and music, we (literally) wore many hats to introduce and engage all attendees; offered tours of the campus; developed and passed out the CNT FAQ booklet; introduced staff, Board Members, auxiliary and committee leaders. Next, we hosted a couple of well-attended and deliciously tasty events, the "buffet-style" Ice Cream Shabbat, followed by the New Member Brunch after High Holy Days. In December, we had a little break from holidays and events. So, your Membership Ambassadors took some time to celebrate and connect during our first "Annual Membership Committee Members and Family Celebration" This was the Membership Committees last day of Chanukah party, and an evening of shared renewal, laughter and vibrant conversation. Then, we opened the calendar year with our Congregant of the Year Service (COY), honoring Sheryl Chenin-Webb and Lori Frankl. Not only were Sheryl and Lori honored and surprised to receive this honor, many congregants were surprised that they were sisters. To be noted: this year's COY honorees marked the first time in CNT history when sisters were acknowledged and celebrated together during this annual event. The COY Service was followed by our intimate, yet entertaining, Shabbat B'yachad dinner, which has become a monthly Shabbat tradition. Finally, all CNT members (new and longtime, adults and children, even some furry four-legged family members) united on May 4th for the CNT Annual Membership Family Picnic...fantastic turnout!...wonderful weatherL.plenty of good food!...games, give-a-ways and refreshments! The park was filled with great energy, smiles, laughs, connecting and having fun. We could not have dreamed of a better day! Proudly, we started and ended the same way; busy but joyously connected. We will continue the collaborative efforts and focus on other positive initiative that will ensure our CNT family membership connection and affirmation that Congregation Ner Tamid is "a special place to belong". Co Chairs Shawn Willis & Jacque Walton It has been a busy year for the RITUAL COMMITTEE! After experimenting with different times for Shabbat Services, we finally settled on 7:00pm, which seems to be the best for the congregation. We introduced the Shabbat B yachad program. One Friday a month, (usually the 3rd Friday) services start at 6:15pm followed by dinner in the social hall and often a musical program to help everyone get involved. We have offered over the past year a plethora of musical programs during our cantorial transition including Cantorial soloist Alisa Fineman, Cantorial soloist Bella Feldman, Sam Glaser, and the Shabbas Zingt Klezmer Band. And who can forget the Beatles Shabbat that started off our season in January? Most importantly, our new cantor Jessica Hutchings will be with us full time starting mid July. Jessica received her ordination in May from the AJRCA, Academy of Jewish Religion Her background includes, undergraduate work at Cal State Long Beach, Bob Cole Conservatory, American Jewish University, and Fingerhut School of Education, where she received her masters in Jewish Education. She has been working as a cantor at Temple Menorah (Redondo Beach, CA.) Her voice, enthusiasm, and knowledge of Judaism will only help to inspire and engage our congregation! Last but not least, if you want to take part in helping the congregation get spiritually connected, join the Ritual Committee. We meet about once a month for one hour. It is a way to understand how things are done and giving input on new programs is always welcome. To all Ritual Committee members, I appreciate your hard work and effort in helping make the past year a success and look forward to a wonderful year. RITUAL COMMITTEE Jack Katz Ritual Vice President The Ritual Committee has many responsibilities Shabbat Greeters High Holy Day Honors Home Hospitality Seder Program Prayer Books & Taliyot Torah Preparations Preparations for all holidays COMMITTEE MEMBERS: VP Jack Katz Shamash Del Acosta Marlene Acosta Lori Fletcher Carolyn Friedner Marilyn Goldstein Jeff Jonas Arlene Kalodner Cathy Linefsky David Linefsky Maxine Molinsky Pam Poster Vivian Van Duzen Sheryl Chenin-Webb LEGACY COMMUNITY This past year we established a formal committee, the Legacy Community. This group will help create a culture of giving in which members can bequest a gift to the Temple. This gift will insure the future of our Temple for generations to come. It is written, "as long as we live, we must not only give, but more importantly we must teach to our children the importance of giving. The idea of tzedakah (giving) is spread throughout the Torah. expressed as a divine commandment." Currently the Legacy Community has secured 15 new members that have specified a gift to Congregation Ner Tamid by a bequest. COMMITTEE Rick Carter Committee Chair Daryl Alterwitz Rabbi Akselrad Neil Beller Debra Cohen Alan Frank Jerry Gordon Mark Katz Larry Lehrner Alan Mann Bruce Matza Jacky Rosen Doug Unger Linda Rosen - Finance Director "The succeeding link in the unbroken chain is the next generation, who must understand how essential it is to both give and to teach our children the vital need to give. Charitable giving is our legacy, the gift which makes our community a light among nations, the gift which will ensure not just our own survival, but a better world for the next link in the chain to thrive.' GARY AND LYNN KANTOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTER We just finished celebrating the 7th year of The Gary & Lynn Kantor Early Childhood Education Center. Some highlights of this past year were: ? A total of 102 children attended our preschool, ages 18 months to 5 years old. ? A total of 66 children attended our summer program ? Tot Shabbat has never been better. An average of 35-40 families attended every month. (Thank you, Sisterhood, for funding this wonderful program). ? Our Pre-Kindergarten students and the 55+ Seniors Social Group had a number of programs together. It was wonderful seeing the two different generations spending time together! ? Our fundraisers were very successful. Our Little Hands, Big Heart Gala, raised $10,000, our Shabbat challah sales paid for the preschool's weekly challot, and Pizza Friday made over $1,500. LONNIF. KRITZLER DIRECTOR OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATior ? The children learned about and participated in many Jewish holiday celebrations. They attended Children's Services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, decorated the Temple Sukkah, marched through the building with their Simchat Torah flags, lit the chanukiyah and made latkes for Chanukah, dressed up and paraded for Purim, entertained their families at our Pesach Model Seder, and sang Happy Birthday while eating birthday cake for Yom Ha'atzmaut. ? The children are beginning to read, add, subtract, and learn how to take care of themselves. More than anything else, though, they LOVE coming to school! The Kantor Early Childhood Education Center staff and volunteers need to be recognized and commended. Without them, our school would not be what it is. The teaching staff is: Teresa Owens, Rinat Shapiro, Shawna Witt, Kaice Howerton, Ellen Jones, Jodi Kurtzman, Lisa Herzlich, Dolly Farrow, Starr Rabb, Lois Bergman and Sandy Stewart. Our wonderful volunteers are: Ellen Sonenthal and Anne Sandell. Beth Davis kept our office running and the parents happy! We must recognize our amazing Early Childhood Education Committee led by Jodi Kurtzman, whose caring, passion, and leadership will be missed as this is her last year. Her dedication to our school has led this incredible committee in achieving so much. The ECEC Committee members are: Nicole Steidel, Michelle Hirsch, Cassidy Wertheimer, Tanisha Rizzo, Abby Zeldin, and Lindsay Russell. We also appreciate and thank CNT Board's President, Jacky Rosen, Vice President of Education, Rob Levrant, and our Board liason, Jolie Brislin. We will forever be indebted to them both for their encouragement and compassion. Lastly, we want to thank Dr. Gary & Lynn Kantor for their vision and on-going support. RELIGIOUS SCHOOL The Ner Tamid Religious School believes Judaism is joyous and attempts to make our school both a place of learning and a place of fun. Our goal is for our students to love learning, and to have a good time doing just that. With amazing teachers, the students learn something new every time they walk into the building, and it is always done in an engaging, enjoyable way We believe that students who go through school alone?with no friends here?will quit as soon as they are able. So, a top priority this year was to create a sense of connection, we want our students to share the religious school experience with friends. Attending school with friends makes this their place, their home. This year our students learned Hebrew skills and Jewish facts, but we are about so much more than that. We are about Jewish values. We taught our students that as Jews we I believe we are partners with God, that each person is created b'tzelem Elohim I (in the Image of God), that Judaism teaches us there is a purpose to our lives I and that each of us has a responsibility to leave the world a better place. Through I exciting and innovative teaching styles we were able to teach our students I about Jewish holidays, traditions, rituals, and the holy language of Hebrew. I "RABBI TARFON SAID, IT IS NOT UPON YOU TO FINISH THE WORK, BUT NEITHER ARE YOU FREE TO DESIST FROM IT." PIRKE1 AVOT 2:16 2013-2014 IN NUMBERS: ? 186 registered students in CNT Religious School ? 26 students in 1st Grade - our largest EVER! ? 21 Bar/Bat Mitzvah Students ? 12 Confirmands ? 27 NTTY teens attending out of town conclaves 8 RABBI SADIE REUBEN BUILDING AND GROUNDS If you were to drive past our campus any day beginning at 7:30 am and continuing through to 9:30 pm, and sometimes later, you would see our parking lot filled with vehicles. Our youngest participant may be only eighteen months old and our oldest, one hundred years young, but our campus is always FULL OF LIFE. ROBERTA UNGER, FACILITIES & CATERING DIRECTOR Our activities include. ? Baby naming/Brit ceremonies ? Home of Dr Gary & Lynn Kantor Early Childhood Education Center ? B'nai Mitzvot ceremonies and celebrations ? Adult Jewish Education Classes ? Shabbat Services, Weekly Minyon ? Kiddushluncheons ? Home of Las Vegas Yeshiva Day School ? Eastside home of the JCC ? Wedding ceremonies & receptions, Renewal of Vows, Brit Ahava ? Bi-Monthly Programming for our 55+ community ? Various weekly community support group meetings ? Monthly meeting of Jewish War Veterans ? Health Screenings ? Touro University Ceremonies & Conferences ? CNT's School Vegetable Garden ? B'yachad Dinners, Passover Seder, Holiday Dinners ? CNT Cinema Nights, Book Club ? Summer Camp ? All Life Cycles This year we've added another wonderful community support group: Turning Point?FREE parent and teen counseling group offering tools and informa?tion regarding anger, school issues, drug/alcohol usage, defiance and other dynam?ics facing today's families. We have been exceptionally fortunate to apply for and receive a grant from NV Energy that allowed CNT to install a solar field. The savings to our utility line is substantial. A HUGE Thank You to our Building and Grounds Committee Members: Daryl Alterwitz, Jim Mason, Bruce Familian, Jon Sparer, and Jim Wadkins. And Amazing Facility Staff: Bryon Parker and Lee Posey, Jr. I'm thankful and indebted to this amazing team of professionals for their continued support and commitment to our congregation. WAYS AND MEANS The goal of the Ways & Means committee is to create ideas, encourage participation, generate donations and oversee the fundraising events throughout the year. Our fundraisers are an important part of the total budget of the Temple and greatly augment the ability for us to continue to provide all of the religious services, programming, facilities, staff, and day-to-day operations. We rely on a select number of fund raising events each year. ? The Kol Nidre Campaign was successfully chaired by Harry Fagel ? Women of Valor, successfully chaired by Rich Goldstein ? Monthly Angels ? Major Gifts ? Targeted Gifts ? No Show Gala Special thanks to everyone who contributed time, money and energy to make each of these events a special and successful occasion. SOLAR A total of 1560 panels for 417 A/C kilowatts were placed in our open space toward the southwest end of our land and filled a total of 1.66 acres. The solar field is the largest non-profit ground-mounted projects in the City of Henderson and is setting an alternative energy precedent for projects to come. In addition to the new panels, per city code trees were planted along the west wall of our property as well as along the 215 side of the property. The system is up and running, we will save between 50-70% of our current electric bill over the next 25 years - that's at least 50,000 a year of our average annual power expense! PROGRAMMING The program department works as a liaison between our local community & committees within our synagogue to help develop and facilitate programs and events. It could be compared to directing traffic in a big city. If it happens at CNT, it starts as a suggestion, a creative thought, or a need. Most important the program must fulfill one of our core goals to provide meaningful religious services, life-long Jewish learning opportunities, cultural programs and social activities in order to perpetuate and advance Reform Judaism. This year's special programs included: ? Robert Hoo, Executive Director, of the Nevadans for the Common Good. Robert was our guest speaker during Yom Kippur to help raise awareness for the NCG. & BETH BOWMAN PROGRAM DIRECTOR ? Leonard Berney, a retired officer of the British army, one of the many involved in liberating Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp. ? Professor Jodi Magness discussed her recent discoveries in the Ancient Village and Synagogue at Huqoq in Israel's Galilee. ? Musical guests included Bella Feldman, Alise Fineman, Sam Glaser and Zingt Shabes Klezmer Band. ? Themed Shabbat B'yachad (community) dinners monthly. ? Beatles Shabbat with Cantor Jessica Hutchings & Dan Spector ? Chanukah Family dinner and program ? Youth programs, Nextgen & Senior programs with special guests. ? Mommy & Me, Daddy too. ? Cinema Connection ? Book Club Communication department has been very busy maintaining our YouTube Channel, Facebook page with 470 likes, and the development of a new Temple website. As a Temple member we ask you to like our Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube to stay informed. The new website will be available in mid June and will have more information and resources at your fingertips then ever before. Our weekly webcast has been very successful this year, with an average range of viewers between 35-70 each week. CNT communication department is fortunate to have volunteers and staff that help all year long with our social media and printed materials. Thank you to Amy Levitus, Lynette Solomon and our volunteers Rebecca Ogburn, Paul Chenin, Matt Cadish, Noah Katz and Michael Bowman. A new social group called DORIENU was established this year to fill the gap between NextGen & our senior's group. Doreinu is Hebrew for "our generation" and the group is for those 40 and above, for couples, singles, empty nesters and those who would like a night away from the family and would like the opportunity to meet new people and embrace their Jewish identity. Temple membership is required. ? Wine & Wisdom with Rabbi Akselrad ? Wine Tasting & Glass Decorating at Total Wines ? Elaine Entin is the coordinator for Dorienu. We look forward to many more events as the group grows. In addition to all the activities on campus, we have had hundreds of people volunteering over 3000 hours towards different activities, programs & events throughout the year. I would like to thank Joyce Herlands and Melissa Lemoine for their dedication to the seniors & NextGen, which provide so many additional programs & events for our members. Another program that needs recognition is our Chavurah program, chaired by Debbie Luce Debbie has placed 18 new members in various groups and is working diligently to create new gro